Star Fox: Civil War
by Miranda Pearl
Summary: Three years after the end of the Aparoid Conflict, tensions are on the rise. With the domineering influence of the Allied Powers of Corneria and the ever growing rift between species at an all time high, the Syndicate Powers have declares their independence from Corneria and don't plan on doing so peacefully.
1. Day of Remembrance

**Author's Note: I wouldn't call this a triumphant return. For the time being let's just call it a ghostly reappearance. I haven'tactually consistently worked on anything here for many years, and I prefer not to count my one-shot from last year, seeing as that was purely the product of hype following the announcement of Star Fox Zero. That being said, I can't guarantee if this is actually an endeavor I'll pursue (being a senior in college and being in the process of cutting ties with your piece of shit family really takes its toll). For the time beng, though, let's just hop on this roller coaster and see where it takes us, eh? If you'd like to see more, you know where the review button is. -MP**

 **-Day of Remembrance-**

With holographic billboards lining the sides of skylanes every couple hundred meters with statements emblazoned across them like 'REMEMBER CORNERIA CITY' accompanied by so-called _moving_ images of the smoking wreckage that was once Corneria City, it became pretty easy to understand why the citizens were slightly more than irked.

"It's all a load of propaganda," the Macbeth Prime Minister, Remus Kerns, had scoffed on the second annual Day of Remembrance. "It's a huge pile of horse _shit._ The people of Lylat need to move on, not have their government memorialize something that destroyed the lives of _billions_ of people. They need-!"

The broadcast had been terminated after that, cutting back to a confused and distressed-looking anchor.

Much of it was true, though. Much of the Lylatian public despised the Day of Remembrance. What was meant to be a solemn day full of moments of silence in honor of the lives lost in the Aparoid Conflict was now the joke of Lylat. Instead of moments of silence, the steps of the Capitol Palace in Corneria City were full of loud-and particularly riotous-protestors demanding that something be done about their lost homes and jobs instead of watching Corneria pour their money into more and more defense spending.

Well, protestors were there every day of the year; it just got particularly bad on the Day of Remembrance.

Fox McCloud smirked, snickering to himself as his Atlassian M-3000 hard-top convertible drove past a billboard that read in bold, blue letters: 'FUCK CORNERIA.'

"That's a first," said Fox half to himself.

In the passenger seat, Falco Lombardi's icy blue eyes followed Fox's gaze until they fell on the billboard, having just enough time to read the message before it was behind them. "Damn protestors gettin' more and more gutsy every week," he noted.

"Sounds a lot like _someone_ we know," Slippy Toad quipped from the back seat.

"Fuck off, Slippy."

Fox had to bring up a hand to cover the smile he failed to suppress.

"You too, Fox."

Fox shook his head and wiped the smile off his muzzle. Clearing his throat, he glanced into the rear view mirror. "Krystal?"

The blue vixen's strong cyan eyes found his in the mirror. "Yes?"

"You've been quiet. Everything okay?"

"Oh, yes," she replied as Fox broke the eye contact to focus on the skylane before him. "Just... wondering what it'll be like to see Peppy again."

Peppy Hare, or _General_ Peppy Hare, had been promoted from Lieutenant Commander of the Star Fox team to the General of the Cornerian Armed Forces shortly after the resolution of the Aparoid Conflict. Despite maintaining regular contact with his old teammates, there was something thicker in the air whenever they spoke. Whether it was a sudden lack of common interest or the fact that Peppy was doing it out of moral obligation, their conversations had grown shorter and were often full of awkward silences.

Fox wondered if Peppy missed him as much as he missed Peppy.

"I'm sure it'll be great," said Slippy in the most consoling tone he could manage. Krystal didn't look convinced as Fox pulled the car up to the parking structure outside of the Capitol Palace. After setting the car down on the landing pad, Fox shut off the engine and swung himself out of the driver's seat, the rest of Team Star Fox following his lead. When he waved off Falco and Slippy, telling them to start heading towards the palace, Krystal stayed behind with him.

"Do you feel it, too?" asked Krystal, her bushy blue tail swishing slowly behind her.

"Feel what?" asked Fox as he punched a few buttons into the kiosk and grabbing the two slips of paper it spit out. He set one on the dashboard and placed the other in his pocket. He turned to face Krystal, ignoring the giant mechanical arm that gently grabbed the car and lifted it to a higher level of the parking structure.

"Something wrong," said Krystal.

Fox probed, "You're going to have to be more specific than that."

Shaking her head, Krystal brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "It's something I've never felt before," she explained.

"Is it the mission?" Fox beckoned for Krystal to walk with him.

"Possibly," she admitted after a beat. "This is a government-sanctioned assignment. Those are supposed to be a big deal, and I can't help but feel like they're hiding something from us."

Nodding, Fox looked at the Capitol Palace as they neared it. "If they are keeping anything from us, they should let us know during the briefing. If you're still not sure afterwards, let me know and we can talk about it does that sound okay?"

After nibbling on her lower lip for a moment, Krystal nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Fox as they approached the throngs of beings gathered on the steps of the Capitol Palace.


	2. Score

**Author's Notes: In the writing world, I am what most people would call a planner, a cultivator, a gardener, you name it. I don't like going into stories blind. I like to know the direction I'm going in. I like to get to know the characters a little bit before I start writing. Ask my co-author for the book series I'm writing, the only reason we haven't actually started a draft in three years is because I want to be absolutely one-hundred percent sure that we're heading in the right direction. And then there are times where I just tell myself "fuck it" and dive in head first. These occurrences are rare, but when it does, then, well. This story in particular is more for personal therapy than anything else, which is my excuse and apology for any future... occurrences. I just don't have super high expectations for it. -MP**

* * *

 **-Score-**

Fox and Krystal reached their destination at the end of the long hallway inside the Capitol Palace, escorted by a middle-aged feline with many bars and pins over his chest. He showed his badge to another man standing outside of the door as they approached, no works spoken between them. The guard nodded, then pushed the door open to the dark room. Fox and Krystal calmly stepped across the threshold. Most people thought that walking from a well-lit atmosphere to a dark room was disconcerting. The Star Fox team thrived on such excitement.

Falco and Slippy were already seated at the table, Falco's legs kicked up on the large, oblong-shaped table while Slippy fiddled with his fingers, his large, bulbous eyes fixed on the floor. At the opposite end of the table sat an elderly rabbit in a scarlet red and gold uniform. Beside General Hare sat the Prime Minister of Corneria, Robert Graves. As usual, the German Shepard was dressed in an impeccably tailored navy blue suit as he brushed the flat of his hand against the perfectly groomed fur on his cheek. The Shepard's pointy ears twitched as a draft of air blew in through the opened door and the two remaining members of Team Star Fox took a seat at the table.

"Thank you for coming," said Robert Graves after the heavy door to the conference room slammed shut. He waited for the echo to fade before continuing. "I trust you have enjoyed your stay here."

As Fox opened his mouth to answer, Falco spoke up. "Yeah. The 'Fuck Corneria' sign was a real nice touch." He lifted one of his hands to flash an "okay" sign, his thumb and forefinger curled together in a circle with the remaining three sticking outward, as his other hand went back to support his neck. He kicked his chair onto its back legs, the fleshy corners of his beak curling up.

Robert Graves' hands clenched into fists, crumpling the edges of the papers in his hands.

Fox cleared his throat, redirecting the attention of the Prime Minister and the General back to him. He shot a quick glare at Falco before answering. "We appreciate the lengths you have gone to ensure that this is a comfortable stay for all of is. Thank you also for covering the maintenance costs on the _Great Fox_."

The Prime Minister's hands relaxed before he waved it off dismissively. "Think nothing of it. It's the least we can do for you, Commander, especially if we're going to have you traveling all the way to Titania."

"Titania?" Fox and Slippy blurted at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye, Fox could see that Krystal's skin had gone several shades paler underneath her soft blue fur. Even Falco's beak hung open in disbelief for a moment before he shut it again with a soft _click_. Realizing his mouth also hung open dumbly, Fox promptly shut it.

Fox coughed, covering it up quickly by clearing his throat. "With all due respect, Mr. Graves," he said, trying and failing to keep the disbelieving laugh out of his voice. "But Titania is… Our missions usually don't take us beyond Aquas. Not to mention that Titania and everything beyond it is nothing but toxic. Venom has always been uninhabitable, the pollution on Macbeth has gotten so bad that both Fortuna and Corneria are experiencing mass immigrations, and the air on Titania is still impossible to breathe."

"Not necessarily, Commander," said Prime Minister Graves as he sat forward and folded his hands together on top of the table. "We recently sent a team of scientists out there to test the breathability of Titania's atmosphere and they found it pure enough to breathe for an extended period of time. Since then, the team has stayed on the planet's surface to continue our study of the runes there."

"Why are we needed, then?" asked Fox.

General Hare took his turn to speak. "Recently, the team of scientists have been on the receiving end of some trouble being caused by some activists from Fichina. They don't believe that we should be trifling with the natural order of things."

" _Are_ you trifling with the natural order of things?" interrogated Krystal, her eyes narrowed accusingly.

"No, no of course not," said the Prime Minister quickly. "It's all just a large misunderstanding is all. All we need you to do is go and make sure that these activists understand that what is being done is not harmful to the planet and is in fact very useful to the scientific community as a whole."

"Sounds like the work of a diplomat, not a mercenary team," said Fox with a pointed glance at Peppy.

Robert sighed through his nose. "We have received word that the protesters are armed. We are by no means asking you to resort to violence. We do, however, know that as long as _they_ know whatever you're capable of. If we have you go and survey the situation, it should bring a stop to the protests."

"Should or _will_?" demanded Fox.

"Commander McCloud," the canine flashed a cordial smile. "You should know above any other person in Lylat that as soon as someone hires your services, the odds of anyone trying to cause trouble with them goes down tenfold because they know that they have the means and the prestige by which they can hire you in the first place. Once these protesters find out that the Cornerian government send the system's most renowned mercenary team after them, we won't be hearing from them again."

Fox held his stare on the German Shepard, his eyes hard and his jaw set.

"You will be compensated for your work, of course," said Graves. Though he held Fox's stare, cool as a cucumber, the slight waver in his voice suggested that he hoped the change of subject would ease the Star Fox leader's hard glare.

After taking quick look at each of his teammates, Fox relaxed his jaw and leaned back in his chair. "What should we be expecting?"

"Nothing more than standard civilian firearms, if that," said Peppy. "These are just everyday people trying to make a difference. We don't expect them to have anything special."

"Even so," said the Prime Minister. "It's imperative that we remember that the number one priority of this assignment is keeping the peace. The use of force, while approved, should only be a last resort."

"Understood," said Fox. "Is there any time frame you'd like this done within?"

Robert picked up his papers and leafed through them, as if uninterested. "Given the nature of this assignment, we do not anticipate it to take more than a couple days. We have chosen to not give you a time frame, in case anything we to happen or if you would like to set aside more time for surveillance if necessary."

"Surveillance?" demanded Falco.

Fox bade Falco to be quiet. "We appreciate that." As Falco sniffed and turned his head away, Fox's gaze flickered back and forth between the general and the Prime Minister. "We're in. Forward us the location of the facility and the contact information for the head of operations and we'll get our contract to you." Without another word, Fox stood up and headed for the door, followed closely by the rest of his team.

* * *

The team had barely left the room before Peppy turned to Robert Graves, his jaw half open as he tried to think of the right words to say.

"Save it, General," said Graves, tapping his stack of papers on the desk to square the edges. "I already know what you're going to say."

Peppy clenched his jaw and did so anyway. "Why?"

The German Shepard sighed and set the stack of papers down on the table. "Because this is a _peacekeeping_ mission. We don't need them thinking it's anything else, because it's not."

* * *

Krystal kept both hands wrapped tightly around the bottle of Essential-Vita, her claws pressing hard into the flimsy plastic as she wrung it in her grip.

The lounge of the _Great Fox_ had been empty ever since she sat down with her drink, save for the couple minutes of silence she had shared with Falco when he came in to mix himself a drink. Fox had gone straight to the bridge to deal with the remaining business following their acceptance of their assignment, and she guessed that Slippy had locked himself in his quarters to video chat with Amanda.

("Tha' guy's _whipped_ ," Falco had remarked with a shake of his head.)

So that left Krystal, alone and with nothing to do while the constant nagging at the back of her head started forming into a headache.

With a sharp _pop,_ one of Krysta's claw's tore through the plastic, spraying the purple-blue drink out of the hole and onto the counter top.

"Shit!" Krystal jumped up from the barstool, uttering the curse with more calm resignation than anger. Holding the bottle so it wouldn't spill anymore, she tossed it into the waste bin, the _hiss_ of the bottle being disintegrated barely registering in her mind as she grabbed a few paper towels and started wiping up the spilled drink.

She glanced over her shoulder, her spine and tail stiffening, as the door to the lounge slid open, revealing an orange fox with vivid green eyes in a dark green flight suit and a white Star Fox jacket. His eyes immediately widened in concern at the sight of the blue vixen wiping frantically along the counter.

"Are you okay?" asked Fox as he stepped into the lounge.

"Oh, yes," said Krystal as she threw a batch of saturated paper towels into the waste bin and tore a few more off of the roll. "Just spilled some of my drink is all."

Fox took one of the paper towels from Krystal and started wiping at the remains of the spilled drink. "We're about to go into warp," he told her. "I was going to see if you wanted to come up to the bridge to watch. I know you like watching it."

Krystal ran a bare hand over the counter to make sure they had dried it completely. "Thank you," she said with a soft smile. "But not this time. I'm afraid the lights will just make my head feel worse."

Fox hopped up onto a barstool and gestured for Krystal to join him. "The briefing didn't do much to help, did it?"

Krystal shook her head, her tail twitching uneasily, an action very different from its usual, smooth sway. "Something just feels… off about the whole situation. I can't quite place my finger on it."

"You know I trust your judgement far more than my own," Fox remarked, his eyes remaining intent on Krystal's. "You're the telepath, not me. What's going through your head?"

Krystal closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head hard and quick. "I'm not sure," she admitted after another silent moment. "I can't tell you exactly what they were thinking, all I can tell you is that they weren't telling us everything we needed to know."

Nodding, Fox turned his gaze from Krystal to the stacked shelves of liquor behind the bar of the lounge. "Well, then let's do what we can with what we have. We'll meet with Falco and Slippy before we get to Titania and have you tell them what you just told me. We can take a few extra days to survey the area to make sure there are no surprises and then go from there. How does that sound?"

Krystal nodded. "Okay."

Fox reached out, putting a hand on Krystal's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be okay." He grinned at her, a grin that did not reach his eyes.

Krystal tried to grin back, knowing her expression perfectly mirrored Fox's.

On average, a trip from Corneria to Titania was approximately twenty hours. With the strength of the _Great Fox_ 's warp drives, the trip only took about twelve.

Krystal finally managed to soothe her head enough to the point where she could go up to the bridge and watch the stars and nebulae flash by in the massive, panoramic viewport. Sitting alone in the captain's chair, knees pulled up to her chest while ROB sat quietly at his work station, it was the closest think she could feel to soothed.

As the trip drew to a close, ROB announced over the PA system that they would be reaching their destination within the hour. It was only a matter of minutes before the rest of the Star Fox team came to the bridge and Krystal had to move from the captain's chair to her own work station.

As the _Great Fox_ dropped out of warp, the team beheld the massive, ringed, red-brown planet that was Titania. Krystal swallowed and lifted her chin and out of the corner of her eye she saw Fox's jaw clench and then unclench. To her right, she both heard and felt Slippy shift uneasily. She didn't know all of the details, but she had heard enough to know that he had nearly died on this planet.

" **Equatorial reference acquired,"** said ROB, **"Entering target orbit trajectory."**

As they drew neared to the planet, Krystal's gaze fell on a burnished, brownish-grey ship that, more or less, held the shape of a rectangular prism marred by a numerous number of ridges and outcroppings, not to mention the number of tubes rising out that appeared to be walkways. Painted on the hull of the starship in bright white paint was the word 'TEMPEST'.

" **Com frequency found. Establishing transmission**."

After another moment of silence, Fox spoke up. "This is the freelancer dreadnaught _Great Fox,_ calling _Tempest,_ do you read? Over."

"Hey," a female voice came back. "Star Fox, huh? They told us to expect someone. God, are we glad to see you guys."

Fox smiled. "Is Doctor Yates available?"

"Yates?" the voice paused for a second. "No, he's on the surface and won't be back until tomorrow. I'm his co-director, Yvonne Dreese."

"Ms. Dreese?" Fox repeated. "That's fine. We were told to meet with him as soon as he was available to assess the situation with the protestors."

"Right, right," Yvonne nodded verbally. "If you'd like, I can send him a message and have him get in touch with you at his earliest convenience."

"That would be excellent, Ms. Dreese," Fox smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_ , Commander. Unfortunately, I can't promise that he'll actually contact you soon, all I can do is forward the message. I hope you understand; Doctor Yates is a very busy man."

"No problem at all Ms. Dreese. We look forward to hearing from you."

"And from you as well, Commander."

As the transmission terminated, Falco stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Well, anyone wanna' drink?"

"We could get called back at any time," said Fox. "Getting hammered right now probably isn't the best idea."

"Fine, none for you then." Falco's bright blue eyes turned to look at the red-brown planet. "Ya' heard the lady. She said chances of Yates getting back to us any time soon are slim. I don't think we're gonna be missin' out on anything."

"I'll pass, see if Krystal or Slippy will join you."

Krystal shook her head. Slippy's face had grown pale and he looked like he was a few moments away from breaking into a cold sweat.

"Fine, more for me then." Falco walked out of the bridge.

Slippy swallowed hard before standing up. "I think I just need a little more rest. This place brings back bad memories."

Fox nodded, understanding. "Take your time."

"I don't like this," said Krystal as the doors slid shut behind Slippy.

Fox's head tilted slightly as he turned his chair to face Krystal. "What's up?"

Krystal stared straight ahead, her gaze not faltering even with Fox's eyes fixed on her. "Something… malicious. Whatever is down there, I don't think they plan on doing whatever they're doing peacefully."

The words had barely left Krystal's mouth before ROB notified them of another incoming transmission. **"Code Red. Code Red."**

Fox quickly swung the captain's chair back around as Yvonne's frantic voice filled the bridge. "Commander McCloud!?"

"Yes, Yvonne, I'm here," said Fox. "What's going on."

Her voice shook tremendously, having to restart her statement several times before she was able to get it out. "I—I was… forwarding on the message that you were here for Doctor Yates… FUCK. Our transmission was cut short… people were screaming; I think I heard a few explosions… Oh my god. Holy _shit._ I can't get a hold of _anyone_. If you can get to the surface—"

"We're on it," said Fox quickly. "Make sure that the rest of your crew is okay. Can you do that?"

"Y—Yes."

"Okay. Breathe, Yvonne, we'll get this looked at."

"Thank you."

Fox looked back at Krystal, his eyes wide in shock. "Malicious, huh?"

Krystal swallowed, rubbing her fingers into her sweaty palms. "Something tells me we're dealing with more than just peaceful protestors."


	3. Syndicate

**Author's Notes:** **This one took a little longer to get out, mostly because there's a lot that is supposed to happen and even then I'm not sure I was able to capture it very well. This is what I get for not making myself edit my own stuff. -MP**

* * *

 **-Syndicate-**

Doctor Lyle Yates's long, scaled tail curled around his feet as he adjusted his glasses and made a slight adjustment to the large microscope in the table. The surface of the table was littered with what, at first glance, appeared to be mundane pieces of red-brown rock. Upon much closer examination, however, the team of scientists had discovered that these particular rocks contained runes suggesting that the world once held intelligent life long before the Lylat Wars. Why the race had died out remained a mystery, and Lyle was determined to find some kind of answers.

Up until this point the runes, fossils, and bone fragments suggested that the previous inhabitants of Titania were of the reptilian race, similar to Lyle.

There were potential ancestors Lyle was dedicating his time to, and he had made it his personal mission to do them justice.

"Anything new today, Doctor?" a light and airy voice asked from behind Lyle.

He glanced quickly over his shoulder and at the female, tawny-colored rabbit standing in the doorway. Shaking his head, Lyle turned back to the table and the scattered remains of ruins strewn across the table. "Not yet. The team at the ruins said they're going to bring us a new shipment of samples in the next couple of days. Maybe we'll find something in there."

"You could probably get a lot more information if you went to the runes yourself," suggested the newcomer. "There's much more to look at."

Lyle shook his head and licked his lips as he leaned closer to the microscope. "The devil is in the details, Kenra. Coming from Fichina, I thought you would know that."

Kenra Elrind, the most recent scientist to be added to Doctor Yates's team, had been something of a slapstick decision. She had been referred to by Lyle by the director of the climate control research center on Fichina and if you asked Lyle, he would tell you that he hired her purely on the grounds that her expertise was too hard to turn down. She had spent the past four years on Fichina, and over the past three years while teams of scientists studied snowstorms and weather patterns (not to mention any Aparoid remains still on the planet), Kenra and a much smaller team of scientists focused on what was _beneath_ the ice. Before applying to join Lyle's expedition to Titania, her team had just started finding fossils of potential life that once lived on the ice world.

"I'm good at _finding_ ," Kenra had told Lyle during their interview. "Once I find what I find what I'm looking for, I like to step back and let other researchers do what they do best. I'm not one for study. I find new things and move on."

Lyle had to agree with what she had to say. On an expedition when there were endless possibilities to find evidence of past lives as well as their civilizations, an expert finder was exactly what they needed.

After pulling on a pair of latex gloves, Kenra picked up a stone slightly larger than her hand and examined what appeared to be the shape of a skull fossilized in it. After brushing the palm of her hand over the flat surface of the rock, she asked, "Back on Fichina, there were rumors that Corneria was looking to claim Titania as part of their territory. Have you heard?"

"I have."

"What do you think of it?"

Lyle sniffed, his tail twitching in amusement. "I think it's about time _someone_ laid claim to it. Warp drives—not the mention _civilization_ itself—has been around for thousands of years. If we can do the same thing you did on Fichina, we could probably make it more appealing."

It was already common knowledge that Titania was the dark horse of Lylat. As unappealing as Fichina with its blistering summers and freezing winters, it wasn't exactly the kind of location someone would want to build a vacation home. However, with the ever-growing population of Corneria, many people believed it was the right time to look for more space to expand their influence. Titania, although barren, held the most promise. Many people reasoned that if Macbeth held control over Fichina, then it would only be fair for Corneria to have Titania.

Kenra continued, "I've heard that a lot of people on Macbeth are upset about it. They think that they should use the climate control technology they developed on Titania themselves rather than letting Corneria steal it from them."

"I know Corneria doesn't have the system's best track record," said Lyle, taking the fossil away from Kenra and carefully setting them back down on the table. "But I don't think they would ever do something like that."

"There are even rumors going around that this assignment is just a cover up for the government to make sure that this place is even worth their time," said Kenra, leaning up against the table right next to Lyle. "Why do you think they'd do something like that?"

"Please don't lean against the table, Kenra. This is a very delicate process." Lyle reached out, without looking, and grabbed her shoulder to gently push her away.

Kenra huffed impatiently. "Well. What do you think of that?"

"I don't think the Cornerian government would ever feel the need to cover it up with something like this," said Lyle genuinely. "Why would they feel the need to keep it a secret? There's no harm in scouring a planet's surface to determine its inhabitability."

"You're the Cornerian here," Kenra pressed. "Why?"

Lyle held a finger up to her when the televox in one of the pockets of his lab coat started vibrating. After taking off his gloves, he pulled the small device out of his pocket and read the caller identification. "One moment, Kenra." He pressed the accept button on the glowing holoscreen. "Yvonne?"

"Hello, Doctor Yates. I'm sorry to disturb your work, but you did tell me it was okay for me to call if it was urgent…"

Lyle sniffed. "I remember. That must mean this is urgent."

"Well, sort of, Sir."

"What is it?"

"Well, the Star Fox team just arrived a few minutes ago, Sir."

Lyle coughed. "Star Fox?"

Having turned his back on her just a few moments ago, Lyle never saw Kenra's eyes widen in shock at the mention of the mercenary team.

"Yes," said Yvonne, somewhat hesitantly. "Remember you requested that someone come out to help deal with the protestors?"

Lyle nodded quickly. "Yes, yes I remember." He cleared his throat. "I just wasn't expecting such a quick response."

"Yes, well, they are on standby at the moment. Whenever you get a chance, let me know and I can get you in touch with them."

"Yes, I will do that," said Lyle as he started turning back around. "Thank you Yv—"

Before Lyle could finish the statement, the air hissed out of his lungs as Kenra's fist jabbed into his throat. The televox fell from his hand, clattering against the floor and bouncing away as her other hand with the side of his head and smashed it into the table.

Dazed and more in shock than in pain, Lyle crashed to the floor and reached towards the televox. Kenra never gave him the chance to reach it, kicking his hand so hard Lyle thought he heard something _crack_ before she smashed the televox underneath her foot and walked away.

Taking advantage of the clear path between himself and the alarm button near the door, Lyle started scrambling to his feet, only to fall back down to his face as Kenra grasped his tail and yanked him back. A loud cry erupted from Lyle as something at the base of his tail _popped_. As she dragged him across the hard, concrete floor towards her, she pressed one of her feet down against his throat.

"Shut up," she hissed.

Lyle's mouth gaped open, his limbs and tail flailing wildly as he tried and failed to take in a breath. Keeping her foot on his neck, Kenra reached over to the table and picked up the same fossil she had been examining as she conversed with him. Lyle's eyes widened as panic set in, the tips of his fingers going numb as adrenaline bolted through his body.

"You know," said Kenra, tossing the fossil up and down in her hand. "I wasn't lying when I told you I liked finding things. I do. It brings on its own kind of thrill."

Lyle's eyes started rolling back into his head, the numbness brought on by adrenaline slowly being replaced by an icy, gripping cold.

Kenra continued. "However, when you find out that the Cornerian government is looking at a planet and planning to use it as a grounds to build nuclear weapons? That's just too good of an opportunity to turn up. Did you know anything about that? Or did you honestly think that the government would fund an expedition here just because the runes are just so… _fascinating_."

Lyle gagged violently. The flailing in his limbs and tail had been replaced by an occasional twitch. Kenra turned the rock over in her hands until the flat side faced Lyle. He looked up at the skull fossilized into the rock, his eyes widening in panic. She sighed, then grinned down at him. Lyle didn't even notice. He was too busy focusing his attention on the rock.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

Fox inhaled deeply as the scouter over his right eye uploaded a blueprint of the temporary labs on Titania as well as a digital readout of the Arwing as the plasma engines howled to life. He flexed his fingers over the control stick, glancing down as his fingers contoured around the fading leather of the blunt end of the control stick before looking up and to his right. To his left, Slippy tapped away at the holoscreen of his Arwing, immediately to his right, Falco rolled his neck a few times, and to the right of Falco, Krystal stared out of the open door of the launch tunnel of the _Great Fox_ , her shoulders squared and chin lifted.

"Remember what the PM said," said Fox. "Use of force is authorized, but only needs to be used as a last resort."

"Yeah, yeah," said Falco abrasively.

Krystal added, "If what Yvonne said about an explosion is true, we should expect to use it sooner than later."

" **Engines nominal,"** said ROB over the intercom. **"All systems go. Launch commence."**

Fox barely had time to notice the way the Arwing shook as the catapult behind him _whirr_ ed and then with a hard lurch, the launch tunnel disappeared in a blur and Fox was thrown into the darkness of space. Fox's nails dug into the leather of the control stick, the turning sensation of the Arwing performing a barrel roll barely registering, spreading its wings in a fabulous display of light and sparks. The endless black starfield of space stretched out beyond the canopy, Fox only focusing on it for a moment before turning his attention back to the red planet. Thin white clouds dashed across its surface, an almost enigmatic air pulsing off of it as if challenging Fox.

"Form up," said Fox into his microphone. "Let's head straight down to the surface. Get ready for re-entry."

"On your four o'clock, Foxie," said Falco, following by confirmations from Krystal and Slippy.

Almost as soon as the words had subsided and before the air could even be considered dead, the air around the nose of the fighter started to glow a pale reddish color. He punched a command into the console on the fighter, making sure the Arwing remained in a tight arrowhead shape before securing both of his hands around the control stick. "Readjust your G-diffuser output for entry and atmospheric flight."

A message flashed across the computer console of the Arwing: "ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY IMMINENT." Fox responded by calling up the temperature readout, watching the numbers steadily rise as the red glow around the nose of the Arwing grew ever brighter. Keeping his eye on the temperature, he quickly tapped the gravity breaks, slowing his descent enough to maintain his momentum, but enough to stop the ever growing temperature outside of the Arwing.

"Keep a tight formation," said Fox calmly, tapping the brakes again. "We're taking a steep dive to get down there faster."

A chorus of more affirmations echoed in his ears through his headset and Fox tightened his grip on the control stick, maintaining a steady position. The air rushing past the cockpit rumbled at an almost deafening decibel. Outside, the red fire had slowly changed from red to orange. Fox clenched his jaw and locked his arms, tuning out the jumping and shivering of the Arwing and the control stick. Fox glanced at the computer console as it locked onto the planet's surface and displayed the altimeter, which read just over three hundred kilometers to the surface.

Fox knew that would go quickly. Again, he tapped the gravity brakes. On his headset, the screen read "WARNING: ATMOSPHERIC RE-ENTRY IMMINENT. HEAT SHIELDS: 90%".

"How's everyone holding up?" asked Fox?

Falco reported first, "Hovering just around ninety percent."

"Same, Fox," said Slippy.

"Right at ninety, Fox," added Krystal.

Fox nodded. "Prepare to engage full brake and decrease speed to point five mach. Then pull out of the dive and form up on me."

Fox took a deep breath and engaged the gravity brakes at full power, pulling up hard on the control stick, pulling the Arwing into a much milder descent angle. Fox blinked hard as the re-entry fires vanished completely and the volume of the air screeching by the cockpit declined to a much more manageable pitch. To his left, Falco's Arwing swooped past and performed a quick barrel roll in another fantastic display of light. On the computer, the altimeter read that he was about 25 kilometers from the surface.

"Level off at two point five klicks and increase speed to mach point two," Fox looked down at the altimeter as it read just over three kilometers over the surface.

"Accelerate to mach one point two on my mark," said Fox, putting a hand on the throttle. "Mark."

Fox hit the throttle and the Arwing reacted instantly, blasting through the sound barrier with a bluish-white burst of the engine fires, a vapor cone forming around the nose of each fighter for a split second as the left the thunderous crack of a sonic boom in their wake. Fox looked at the small green dot on his radar that indicated the location of the labs. "Proceeding to target. ETA, five minutes."

Fox took the time to breathe easily inside of the cockpit, ignoring the occasional small talk from the rest of the team. He kept his green eyes focused in front of him, looking over the barren landscape of the red planet. Aside from the occasional rock formation or large rattlesnake skeleton, it seemed impossible to gain a real orientation of where he was or even what direction he was going in. The only thing that kept Fox confident that he was heading the right way was the green dot on his radar. Titania was often the setting for the classic horror stories of Lylat. The ringed planet held an ominous, enrapturing quality about it that no one could really describe. Not even the best authors of the system. The best description Fox had heard was one of a foreboding, eerie, inescapable fate. As eager as he was to face whatever was down there, Fox failed suppress the cold feeling of dread that crept into his chest.

Four minutes later, Falco spoke up. "I think I see it. 'Bout a klick ahead."

Fox looked ahead again, catching sight of a boxy, metal structure. In the middle of the desert, it looked like it had no place there. "Got it. Cut your speed and configure the G-diffusers for a vertical landing. We're going to be coming in fast."

Fox slowly throttled down while continuing to pulse on the gravity brakes, punching a command into the computer that prepared the Arwing for landing. As they neared the labs, the Arwing finally reached a complete halt, hovering just meters over the ground as it slowly lowered down. The landing gear deployed from the front of the fighter, touching down in the sand gently.

As the canopy lifted, Fox took a deep breath of Titania's warm, dry air, grabbing his Xilentt S-3 carbine and hefting it over his shoulder as he swung himself out of the cockpit and onto the surface of the planet.

"Falco, you and Slippy stay here," said Fox. "Krystal and I will head in to see what's going on."

Falco's beak dropped indignantly. "What—!?"

"We don't need all four of this," Fox interjected. "You can get trigger happy and Slippy…" he trailed off, making eye contact with the stout frog. "You didn't need to come anyway. I know this place brings back bad memories. You don't have to come."

Slippy grinned wanly. "Thanks, Fox."

Fox nodded as Falco jumped up onto the wing of his Arwing and leaned back against one of the G-diffuser engines. "Fine."

"Don't get too comfortable," Fox warned. "If we need backup, we'll be calling you."

Falco shrugged and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

Fox beckoned to Krystal, who jogged to join him as he started making his way to the lab. "Can you tell what's going on?"

"There's a lot of distress," said Krystal. "That's to be expected. There's a lot going on in there; the walls do a good job of covering it up."

Fox nodded, pressing a hand down experimentally on the door of the building, surprised to find that it swung open with ease. "Not a lot of security protocol," he noted.

"Either they weren't expecting company or someone else unlocked it before we got here," suggested Krystal.

The entryway of the lab was just a long, dark hallway, Fox and Krystal barely able to see a few meters in front of them. Fox moved to the side of the hall, feeling along the side for a light switch. "I can't find anything, you?"

At the other end of the corridor, Krystal shook her head.

Sighing, Fox activated the flashlight at the end of the barrel of his carbine and lifted it to his shoulder, shining the light down the hall, Krystal doing the same beside him. The hall stretched forward for about another ten meters before forming into a T-junction. Still, there was no one in sight.

At the end of the hallway, Fox flashed his light down the hallway to the left while Krystal moved to the right. He scanned down the hallway, which extended down further than the light could reach. "Clear," he said.

"Clear," Krystal echoed.

"Where is everyone?" Fox wondered aloud.

Before Krystal could answer, a high pitched scream echoed down one of the halls and into both of their ears, so shrill that it sent shivers down Fox's spine.

Fox turned to meet Krystal's gaze. "Where was that coming from?"

Wordlessly, she pointed down the left hallway. Nodding at each other, they both took off at a full sprint towards the source of the noise. The first scream was followed by another, then another, and then another until Fox turned a corner a little too sharply and collided full speed with another body. He managed to regain his balance, though the other hadn't fared so well. She lay on the ground at his feet, covering her head with her arms as she shivered violently and whimpered in fear.

Fox eyed the white lab coat the hare wore and extended a hand to her. "Who are you?"

She reached up, taking Fox's hand and allowing herself to be hoisted up. The tawny-colored rabbit brushed her arms off. "Thank God," she panted. "Thought you were someone else."

"Where is everyone?" asked Krystal.

When the hare kept gasping frantically for breath, Krystal reached out and placed a consoling hand on the other woman's shoulder. "It's okay. You're safe now. We're going to get you out of here. We just need to know if there are others."

The hare nodded, her teeth chattering together. "I—uh…" she leaned her forehead into one of her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't know… I think they're all dead." Her voice strained at the end, as if trying to suppress a sob. "Dr. Yates… I found him in his lab. He looked—It looked like someone had beaten him to death with one of the fossils he was studying. Oh, God… I've just been hiding, waiting for a chance to get out."

As Krystal's grip on the hare's shoulder tightened, Fox asked, "What's your name?"

"K-Kara," she stammered. "Kara Elide."

"Kara," Fox repeated. "Do you know how to find the exit from here?"

She nodded. "Everyone's dead… it's pointless."

Fox nodded. "I understand the concern you have. We just want to do a quick sweep through to make sure. We have someone waiting outside who will meet you there and take care of you. Can you do that?"

Shakely, Kara nodded. "I… I think I heard something in one of the rooms in this hall. The third one from here on the right. I need to check."

Krystal turned her back on Kara and faced Fox, her mouth pursed into a thin line. "Fox, I don't think this is—"

"We'll check it out for you," said Fox with a quick nod at Kara. "You just focus on getting out of here."

"Please," the hare pleaded. "I haven't heard from my lab partner. I just need to see if she's okay."

"Fox…" said Krystal, her palms tightening around the grip of her carbine.

Sighing, Fox nodded. "Okay, let's go check and then we can get out of here."

Kara's face flooded with relief, her facial features loosening considerably. "Thank you!" She turned around and jogged back down the hallway, stopping at the door she had mentioned to them previously.

"I'm not sure about this," said Krystal lowly as she and Fox followed after Kara a little more slowly. "I'm not sensing any other signs of life here. I think she was right when she said they were all dead."

"Just humor her for a little bit," Fox responded. "If everyone is dead then she's probably going to need that closure."

Reluctantly, Krystal nodded.

"Lynn?" Kara called as she opened the door to the room, poking her head inside. "Lynn are you in here?" She poked her head back out and gestured for Fox and Krystal to join her. "I need to borrow one of your lights. All of the electricity here has been out since the attack."

"Of course," Fox lifted his carbine to his shoulder and pointed it into the room. Before he had the chance to catch a glimpse of what was inside, Kara reached out, forcibly grabbing at the carbine at its barrel and pushed it back into Fox's snout. Reacting just as quickly, he drew his EE-30 ArmCorps blaster from its holster as Kara, her hold still on the barrel of his carbine, pulled on it hard enough to send Fox stumbling into the room. He whirled back around, lunging back towards the door just as Krystal was shoved in and the door promptly slammed behind her.

Fox reached for the handle, trying to twist it to find that it had been locked in place, refusing the budge when he threw all of his weight against it.

Fox slammed his fists down against the heavy metal door. "SHIT!"

Krystal's voice sounded behind him, wavering slightly as she spoke his name. "Fox…"

The vulpine activated the flashlight underneath the barrel of his carbine, illuminating the heavy metal door for a moment before turning around and shining it forward, his light joining Krystal's.

"Fucking hell…" whispered Fox.

The room was piled high with oil drums.

Fox lowered his weapon, allowing it to hang from the strap around his neck as he used Krystal's light to see and stepped up to one barrel in particular with a small, gnarled, fist sized device strapped to it. As Fox reached out to touch it, the miniature holoprojector on it turned on, projecting the numbers ' **3:00'** right in front of his face in bright red numbers.

Fox staggered back a step, startled at the sudden bright light shining in his eyes, exclaiming, "What the fuck?!"

A moment after the numbers had appeared, they started counting down.

' **2:59'**

' **2:58'…**

Three brief flashes of light lit up the room before it went dark again and Fox heard Krystal throw her entire body weight against the door. "Fox. We're going to need all the firepower we can get. The door is blast proof."

Fox groaned as he turned. "Of course it is." Switching out his carbine for his blaster, Fox gestured for Krystal to get out of the way. "Falco," he spoke into his headset.

"Yo."

"A hostile is running out of the labs. Tawny colored rabbit. You're going to have to intercept her. Krystal and I are locked in a room here, there's a timer for a bomb set to go off in three minutes. You're going to have to intercept her and get out of the blast radius."

A quiet thump indicated that Falco had either jumped off the wing of his Arwing or his body had impacted another. When he spoke, he sounded out of breath. "What about you?"

"Krystal and I are going to find a way out of here. We'll meet you back at the _Great Fox_."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" insisted Fox.

"Roger." Fox heard Falco grunt with the impact of something before the transmission was cut. Fox glanced back at the timer, which now read **'2:32'**.

Fox pulled the trigger in on the blaster and held it, holding the barrel less than a centimeter away from the handle on the door. He watched, waiting as the barrel of the blaster glowed blue, then green, then slowly faded to a bright red color. "Close your eyes," he advised, then pulled the trigger.

The room filled with white light for a moment, and even though Fox had closed his eyes, it burned into his retinas, causing temporary blindness when he opened his eyes again. Fox pushed his shoulder against the door again, cursing when it still refused to budge.

Hands tightening around the pistol grip and pulling his finger against the trigger, Fox tried again, then threw his weight against the door again. Once again, it didn't move. Fox tried again, then again, then again. Slamming his shoulder into the door enough times that he could already feel a bruise starting to form.

' **1:45'…**

' **1:44'…**

"Mother… FUCKER," Fox grunted in time as he threw his shoulder into the door for the umpteenth time. He stepped back, clutching his shoulder in one hand. Taking a running start, he lunged into the door, his shoulder slamming into it at full speed.

Fox could have sworn he heard something _crack_.

The vulpine crumped to the floor, shouting through clenched teeth as his arm seized in pain, pulling it hard into his side as pain seared through all the way down to the tips of his fingers. When Krystal lay a hand down on his shoulder, he cried out and turned away. Through half closed eyes, he could see the clock read ' **1:21'**.

"Shit…" he breathed. "Shit… shit… shit…"

As Fox got to his knees, still holding his arm against his side with his good hand, he heard a creak as the door slowly opened away from them. Krystal instantly lifted her carbine to her shoulder, the light festooned to it immediately shining down on a stout, green frog, holding his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Whoa!" Slippy cried out. "It's me!"

"Slippy…" said Fox weakly, staggering to his feet.

"You can thank me later. Right now we have to get out of here."

Nodding, Fox stepped past Slippy and took off running down the hall, Krystal keeping pace with him while Slippy trailed behind. Grunting, he slipped the strap for the carbine off of his neck and let it fall to the ground behind him with a clatter. He sighed, relieved at the decreased weight coming down on his injured shoulder.

As they turned the corner into the entry hallway, Fox could see two silhouettes outside, both moving quickly. Fox squinted, they appeared to be sparring.

"Go," said Fox to Krystal. "Falco looks like he needs help. You too, Slippy."

"But—"

"GO!" snapped Fox. "I'll make it out.

Nodding, both Krystal and Slippy sprinted out ahead of him. While Krystal went to assist Falco, Slippy waited at the entrance for Fox as he followed, his steps faltering more than once. As soon as his foot hit the sand, Fox brought up a hand to shield his eyes from the bright Titanian sun.

Then an unbearable heat flashed across Fox's back and he fell forward, unconscious before he even hit the ground.


	4. I Get Around

**Author's Notes: I have no other excuse except for the fact that school got nuts, graduation happened, I went on a family trip to Florida, moved into a new place, spent some time trying to get settled into a new job, and now getting ready to apply for grad school. -MP**

* * *

 **-I Get Around-**

One by one, Fox McCloud's senses came back to him.

First, it was his hearing. Near him, he could make out the crackling pops of flames. His sensitive ears twitched at each little noise. Further away, he thought he could hear shouting.

Next, it was feeling, followed shortly by sight. First, he could feel grains of sand rubbing past his fur and against the hide on his neck and cheek before white hot pain seared through his shoulder and down his arm. Fox's eyes flew open when the heat to the side of his face became too much to bear and sucked in a deep breath. Instead of air filling his lungs, sand flew into his nose. Coughing and sputtering, Fox turned onto his back and lifted himself with his good arm, snorting and spitting mucous mixed with sand back onto the ground. Keeping his arm tight against his side, Fox heaved himself to his feet, stumbling for footing for a moment before standing up straight.

Several meters in front of him, Fox could see the blur of two blue forms combating a brown one. Drawing his blaster with his good hand, he stumbled towards the fray.

"Fox! Fox!" Seemingly out of nowhere, Slippy appeared beside Fox, grasping his forearm tightly before Fox could raise his firearm. "Remember what the PM said."

 _Don't use violence unless absolutely necessary_ , Robert Graves' words echoed through Fox's head.

"She tried to kill us," spat Fox. "I think this is a good enough situation."

"Fox. You're hurt and you're not thinking clearly. Put the gun down."

Reluctantly, Fox holstered the blaster. He looked forward again just in time to see Falco kick the rabbit at the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel while Krystal kept her carbine trained on the spot between her eyes. As he moved forward again, Slippy caught him again by the arm.

"Interrogation can wait," said Slippy. "We need to get that arm taken care of first. I think your shoulder is dislocated—"

Pushing past Slippy and the pain, Fox stormed forward and stole Krystal's carbine out of her hands with one of his, shoving the barrel into the forehead of the woman. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The rabbit only chuckled in response. "You're not going to kill me."

"You just tried to kill me. Are you sure you want to play that card?"

The rabbit's amber colored eyes met his with just as much fury and intensity. "What will the general public say when they find out that Commander McCloud murdered an innocent woman in cold blood?"

"They won't bat an eye when I make it look like you were killed in the explosion."

Fear flickered across her face for a fleeting moment before she set her jaw again. "My name is Kenra Elrind."

"Who do you work for?"

"The Department of Archaeology at Corneria's Institute of Sciences."

"Bullshit."

"She isn't lying, Fox," said Krystal softly behind him.

Breath hissing through his teeth, Fox turned to look at the blue vixen standing a few paces behind him. Her cyan eyes were studying Kenra intently—brows drawn together and jaw set as her eyes flickered back and forth across different points of the rabbit's face—a look he had grown to know as the look Krystal took on whenever she was searching someone's mind.

Taking advantage of Fox's moment of distraction, Kenra's arms snapped forward and ripped the carbine out of the vulpine's considerably weaker grip. Fox's hand immediately went to his holster, yanking out his blaster and leveling it over Kenra's heart and Krystal mimicked the action as well as Falco, bringing his carbine up to his shoulder.

"We're all adults here," said Kenra, her voice soft but edged with steel. "Let's have a grown up conversation."

"Put down the gun and maybe we can try that out."

Kenra laughed out loud—a loud, scathing laugh. "I think I fucked myself over with that murder attempt that you can't seem to let go of."

"With good reason," snapped Krystal.

"I'm not going to ask again," said Fox. "Who do you work for."

"The blue one was right when she said I wasn't lying."

"Krystal?"

"She wasn't lying," said Krystal, then added. "But she also wasn't telling the whole truth."

Fox snuffed, turning his attention back to the hare. "Ball's in your court."

Kenra waited a beat before responding. "Syndicate."

Fox rolled his gun back into its holster and raised his hand to his earpiece. "ROB, we have a hostile in custody. Bring the _Great Fox_ down so we can bring her on board."

" **Affirmative.** "

"Krystal, put her in cuffs," said Fox. "Let's get out of here before anyone else comes looking. Falco, help me set my shoulder."

After receiving the heavy manacles from Falco, Krystal—after disarming Kenra—snapped one of the cuffs over the hare's wrist. She pulled her arms behind her back and locked the other cuff over her free wrist. Krystal kept her blaster trained on Kenra's back, her free hand grasping the rabbit's shoulder tightly after searching her briefly for any other concealed weapons.

With great effort, Fox lay back down in the sand, gritting through his teeth as he stretched his wounded arm out perpendicular to the rest of his body. Falco, slinging his carbine over his shoulder, grabbed Fox's wrist and lifted his arm up at a slight angle, bracing one of his feet against the vulpine's chest. "Ready?"

Nodding, Fox closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as Falco pulled on his arm, gradually until with a loud _clunk_ , he felt his shoulder re-articulate. Fox's eyes flew open again and he released a deep, gasping breath that he didn't know he had been holding as the pain in his arm was replaced by a satisfying numbness. Still taking care not to put too much pressure on his arm, Fox rose to his feet as the air around them filled with a high pitched _whirr_ ing noise. Wind rushed around them, kicking up sand that burned into Fox's skin and eyes. He brought up an arm to shield his eyes as he looked to the sky and at the underbelly of the _Great Fox_ as it came to a hover several hundred meters over their heads.

Fox beckoned Falco closer as the noise grew in volume and intensity to the point that he knew they wouldn't be overheard. "Give Kenra a full search when you reach the _Great Fox_ ," he said. "And keep her in sight. She's giving up all this information much too easily."

Falco nodded and took a step back away from Fox towards his Arwing.

"Krystal," said Fox. "Are you okay with taking her in your Arwing up into the _Great Fox_?"

Nodding, Krystal turned around and, keeping Kenra at gunpoint, helped her up into her Arwing before climbing in herself as Falco and Slippy both went and climbed into their Arwings. Fox waited until the canopy closed over Krystal and Kenra's head before doing the same and climbing up onto the wing of his Arwing. Once the other three ascended into the air, Fox jumped into the pilot's seat and went through the safety checks before pressing the 'Engine Start' button on the console.

Falco, Slippy, and Krystal each made it onto the _Great Fox_ before Fox did. As Fox walked onto the bridge, his three teammates were already sitting at their respective stations while Kenra sat patiently in a spare seat near Falco, still cuffed but not showing any previous signs of aggression that she had seemed so willing to show off before.

"ROB, connect us to the Prime Minister at the Capitol Palace," said Fox as he dropped down into the captain's seat directly before the holoprojector near the center of the bridge. As ROB set to work at his station, the holoprojector came to life with a low hum as it lit up and projected the insignia of the Allied Forces of Corneria, rotating slowly. The seal continued to turn, until enough time had passed that Falco had been able to get up and mix himself a drink before an answer finally came. The projector in front of them soon displayed the image of an immaculate office that carried nothing more than a hybrid desk of both glass and metal stacked neatly with data sheets and e-pads.

The Shepard seated behind the desk initially appeared shocked at the sight of the Star Fox team sitting on the other side of the screen. "Commander," he said after clearing his throat and folding his hands over the top of a few data sheets. "We weren't expecting to hear from you so soon."

"We weren't expecting to have attempts made on our lives with military-grade explosives, Mr. Graves," snapped Fox. "Care to explain?"

"Our most recent intelligence reports had told us that the protestors had nothing more than a few civilian firearms."

Behind Fox, Kenra snorted out a single laugh before falling silent again.

Robert Graves' amber eyes left Fox's in favor of looking past him and at the handcuffed rabbit in the seat behind him. "And who might you be?"

"This is Kenra Elrind. She claims to work for a group known as Syndicate," Fox answered for her. "Happen to know anything about them, too?"

"The name doesn't ring a bell, Commander."

"Sure it does, Robert," said Kenra sweetly. "There's no need to keep it a secret anymore."

All eyes on deck, which had previously been on Kenra's careless form lounging back into her seat, now turned to the holographic projection of Corneria's Prime Minister. The canine kept his gaze firmly on the Star Fox team leader, as if daring him to speak up.

"Now isn't the time for bullshitting," said Fox casually. "What is Syndicate?"

The Shepard sighed and shot a glare past Fox that he knew would be directed at the rabbit behind him. "Syndicate—to the best of our knowledge—is a protest group that was formed shortly after the conclusion of the Aparoid Invasion in response to what they believed was the unfair treatment of certain species over others. Although they are based on Fortuna, which is not one of the planets of the Allied Powers, they protested the archeological expedition we sent out to Titania because they believed we had ulterior motives."

Out of the corner of his eye, Fox saw Krystal's mouth open. "Did you have any ulterior motives?" he asked the question before he knew Krystal would have the chance to.

"We had already discovered that the atmosphere on Titania was breathable," said Graves. "So that was a part of the mission, though not the true purpose. The point of being there was also to scope the landscape and determine if it was sustainable enough to start a colony there."

"Sounds innocent enough. Why would Syndicate be so directly opposed to that?"

Just as Graves opened his mouth to speak, Kenra cut in. "Because they weren't going to build a colony there. They were going to build death camps."

Panicked flickered across the Prime Minister's face so quickly that if Fox had blinked, he would have missed it. "That's quite a large leap to make, Ms. Elrind," said the canine calmly, save for the occasional twitch of a finger. "How did you come to such a dramatic conclusion?"

Shrugging, Kenra answered. "I get around."

Shaking his head, Fox interrupted, "What use would _Corneria_ even have for a _death camp_?"

"To punish Venomian sympathizers. People who still idolize Andross and have been conspiring to finish what he happened at the time of the Lylat Wars. They're still around, you all know they are."

The fact that loyalists to the Venomian Empire's cause existed in Lylat was no secret. The reason nothing had been nothing done about it was the fact that none of these sympathizers posed an actual threat to the peace that had reigned over the Lylat System over the past decade and a half. Due to the lack of threat that they posed to the system, nothing had been done except for the occasional protest that went awry from time to time. None of these groups had the resources or the funds to create something even a fraction of the size of what Andross had done and suddenly the Cornerian Commonwealth wanted to put them in _death camps_?

"That is simply not true, Ms. Elrind." Robert Graves' hologram flickered.

"Yes!" Kenra challenged, and Fox rose to his feet as soon as he heard both of the hare's feet hit the floor. He turned to face her, feet shoulder length apart and shoulders squared. Despite her hands being cuffed behind her back, she still maintained an air about her that made her appear as a force to be reckoned with.

"That's enough," said Fox, holding up a hand to both Kenra and the holographic projection of the Prime Minister. "Now isn't the time to be pointing fingers. Mr. Graves, what do you want with her?"

Sighing, Graves unfolded his hands and wiped them along his legs. "Bring her back to Corneria, we'll take her off your hands before discussing our next move with you. Thank you." He didn't wait for a response before ending the transmission.

When the hologram flickered away, Fox turned to face Kenra, finding that her mask of calm had since disintegrated to give way to the panic written on both her face and in the way she stood. Her shoulder's no longer squared defiantly, were sunken in defeat and her lower jaw trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Please…" she whispered, nearly begging. "Please you have to believe me."

"Why should we?" asked Fox, glancing back over his shoulder at his team, who had also all risen to their feet.

"L-listen… I know I tried to kill you," she stammered. "But—but I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do—"

"Say that Corneria _was_ going to build a death camp on Titania," said Falco. "In what way does that affect you? Your species wasn't affected by the policies of Corneria during that time."

"No but my family was still loyal to the _Venomian_ cause! _I'm_ still loyal to the Venomian cause! That's why I got involved with Syndicate. As soon as word got out that the Commonwealth was going to build a death camp for people like me then I couldn't take any risks."

Krystal spoke up. "How certain are you that Corneria is going to be building a death camp?"

"N—not one hundred percent certain… but certain enough…"

"Certain enough to try and kill us," Falco quipped.

"Like I said: I was desperate," said Kenra through grit teeth.

Fox reached out and braced his hand against the hare's shoulder when she tried to take a step forward. "That's behind us now; we're not dead. Let's move forward," he directed the last statement more towards Falco than to anyone else. "Sit down, and let's try to figure all this out when we get back to Corneria. You have your story and the PM has his but that is all we have right now, and right now that clearly isn't enough."

Hesitantly, Kenra lowered herself back into her seat.

Fox retook his seat in the captain's chair as everyone else return to their stations. "ROB, set course back to Corneria."

" **Affirmative**." As ROB entered the commands into the warp station the floor of the bridge began to rumble and a low hum filled the air around them as the _Great Fox_ 's warp engines came to life. The tremors grew in intensity and the stars around them seemed to elongate for a moment before a flash of yellow screeched past the _Great Fox_ and a sound almost like an explosion replaced the hum that had come from the engine.

Fox, who had nearly been shaken out of his seat, looked up out of the viewport of the bridge. "What the hell was that!?"

ROB answered: " **Laser fire from unknown trajectory. Warp drives are still functional, though there is damage to the upper starboard wing**."

Fox stumbled towards the viewport and looked out at a massive black scorch mark in the middle of the upper wing on the starboard side of the _Great_ _Fox_. "Get us into warp, before they improve their aim," he commanded.

" **Affirmative** ," ROB set to work at his station, entering the commands quicker this time. The tremors returned as the ship prepared the jump into warp. Fox was halfway back to his seat when the ship lurched forward, nearly throwing him to the ground as they entered warp, stars flashing past them faster than the speed of light.

Regaining his footing, Fox moved back to his seat and turned to face Kenra. He took a moment to regain his composure before turning the chair to face Kenra. He didn't have to speak a work for her to know what he was asking.

She gave a wan smile. "They found you."


End file.
